Lieberman calls Obama young, untested

From Yahoo! News

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential pick eight years ago, on Tuesday criticized his former party's nominee as an untested candidate unwilling to challenge powerful interest groups as both Republican John McCain and one-time Democratic President Clinton have done.

Playing his former party's spoiler, the Democrat-turned-Independent called McCain — not Democratic nominee Barack Obama — the best choice to lead the country forward in his prime-time address to the Republican National Convention.

"Sen. Barack Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man who can do great things for our country in the years ahead," Lieberman said. "But my friends, eloquence is no substitute for a record — not in these tough times for America."

The Connecticut lawmaker, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, argued that Obama has not reached across party lines to achieve anything of significance and has been unwilling to take on Democratic interest groups.

In a clear appeal for backers of Obama's former rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Lieberman said, "Let me contrast Barack Obama's record to that of the last Democratic president, Bill Clinton, who stood up to some of those same Democratic interest groups and worked with Republicans and got some important things done, like welfare reform, free trade agreements, and a balanced budget."

What about Sarah Palin? Is she any more qualified to be McCain's VP? Doesn't she lack experience, too?

I don't really know if this is something related to the seniority rule in the US Senate, but Lieberman is bringing Obama down with these "careless" comments. He is bringing down a fellow democrat for crying out loud! Don't make "controversial" comments just because you lost the noms to Obama.

It's time the fellow party members stand up for each other.

A blogger's code of ethics

Just thought I'd share this with everyone.

Be Honest and Fair
Bloggers should be honest and fair in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.
Bloggers should:
• Never plagiarize.
• Identify and link to sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability.
• Make certain that Weblog entries, quotations, headlines, photos and all other content do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
• Never distort the content of photos without disclosing what has been changed. Image enhancement is only acceptable for for technical clarity. Label montages and photo illustrations.
• Never publish information they know is inaccurate -- and if publishing questionable information, make it clear it's in doubt.
• Distinguish between advocacy, commentary and factual information. Even advocacy writing and commentary should not misrepresent fact or context.
• Distinguish factual information and commentary from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.

Minimize Harm
Ethical bloggers treat sources and subjects as human beings deserving of respect.
Bloggers should:
• Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by Weblog content. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
• Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
• Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of information is not a license for arrogance.
• Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone's privacy.
• Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects, victims of sex crimes and criminal suspects before the formal filing of charges.

Be Accountable
Bloggers should:
• Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
• Explain each Weblog's mission and invite dialogue with the public over its content and the bloggers' conduct.
• Disclose conflicts of interest, affiliations, activities and personal agendas.
• Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence content. When exceptions are made, disclose them fully to readers.
• Be wary of sources offering information for favors. When accepting such information, disclose the favors.
• Expose unethical practices of other bloggers.
• Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

I've got an unclaimed sum of $1.5 Million?

I've been receiving these super stupid e-mails recently, just thought of sharing it to everyone.

Enjoy. If you can.

THIS IS A FAKE E-MAIL.

Zenith Bank Plc
Desk of Mr Kojo P Williams
Head of Remittance Department
Head quarters,
Garki Abuja, Nigeria

Good Day, I am Mr Kojo Williams the head of Remittance Department of the
Zenith Bank Plc. I want to use this medium to inform you that the Central
Bank has given us authorithy to transfer your unclaimed fund of the sum of
USD$1,560,000 equivalent to N 184,020,000 Nigeria currency. Though I dont
have the total sum of your fund since it yeild inteterest.

The International Monetary Fund I.M.F pass this bill dated 7th August 2008
to all Central Bank all over the world to pay international debt without
further delay. This development will enhance international relationship
between the client and it's Bank.

On this note I am pleased to seek for your maximum cooperation by acting
as the next of kin to the fund, since no written WILL is attached to the
fund, it will be possible for you to claim the fund since I am ready to
provide you with all relevant information that will be needed for the
claim.

The fund is ready for transfer and I have taken all necessary measures
within the banking hall to secure this transaction and ensure that we
acheive our aim before 7 working days.I urge you to lets work together to
acheive greatness. Now you are expected to contact Mr Bala Martins the
Head of Finance Department reponsible to open a domiciliary account as
stated on the transfer notice I sent him. Mean while the bank file number
098554-65454 has beenforwarded to the Desk of Mr Bala Martins of the
Finance Department. You are expected to send the bank's file number
098554-65454 to Mr Bala Martins for confirmation, and urge him to start
immediately. Below is the detail.

Zenith Bank Plc

Head of Finance Department
email balamartins100@live.com

Lastly, Get back to me on receipt of this notice.

Best regards
Mr Kojo Williams
Head of Remittance Department.

THIS IS A FAKE E-MAIL.

Why this year's US elections are going to be amazing

• Because Barack Obama is the first African-American presidential candidate. Add that to his political party, and you've got a totally new America, if he wins.
• It's a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) going against a Black Protestant, could there be any more explosiveness in this match-up?
• Both have different political positions. Which means that either way, they'd change the way the world views the America.
• For the Philippines, the way we'd be kissing up an American butt would be different. We'd have to find new ways to win over the new US president.
  
• One's against the war, the other one wants troops back ASAP. God knows what they would do to the Balikatan Exercises.
  

It's almost that time of the year again

It's September 1st, which means the -ber months have come once again! It's almost the yuletide season, which means that it is the time for sharing, caring, and most importantly, GIFTS!

Radio stations, some TV shows and websites have all started to do their annual countdown to Christmas.

I'll guess I'll start with mine.



But who's counting?

Why it's so hard to swat flies

From Yahoo! News

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The brains of flies are wired to avoid the swatter, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

At the mere hint of a threat, the insects adjust their preflight stance to flee in the opposite direction, ensuring a clean getaway, they said in a finding that helps explain why flies so easily evade swipes from their human foes.

"These movements are made very rapidly, within about 200 milliseconds, but within that time the animal determines where the threat is coming from and activates an appropriate set of movements to position its legs and wings," Michael Dickinson of the California Institute of Technology said in a statement.

"This illustrates how rapidly the fly's brain can process sensory information into an appropriate motor response," said Dickinson, whose research appears in the journal Current Biology.

Dickinson's team studied this process in fruit flies using high-speed digital imaging equipment and a fancy fly swatter.

In response to a threat from the front, the fly moves its middle legs forward, leans back and raises its back legs for a backward takeoff. If the threat is from the side, the fly leans the other way before takeoff.

The findings offer new insight into the fly nervous system, and lends a few clues on how to outsmart a fly.

"It is best not to swat at the fly's starting position," Dickinson said. Instead, aim for the escape route.

Dickinson, a bioengineer, has devoted his life's work to the study of insect flight. He has built a tiny robotic fly called Robofly and a 3-D visual flight simulator called Fly-O-Vision.

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen, editing by Will Dunham and Xavier Briand)

My two new best friends

Most people view them as an ordinary household item, some even might not have these things available at their homes.

To me, petroleum jelly and the ice pack are two of the most useful items to the modern-day gym rat. From muscle sores, belt burns, swollen shoulders, painful knees, and to little cuts and bruises one may get at the gym, these two are never fail to save the day.

I recently scraped myself at the gym while training for the competition, it was hard to control the bar behind me because the weight was heavy. Unfortunately, I kept on hitting my shoulders to the bar, and I ended up with swollen and scraped shoulders. But that's somewhat normal to me now. I got used to it.

As soon as I got home, I did my usual routine after training. I iced shoulders, and applied petroleum jelly to the parts that were red. I did won't post a picture anymore, it would only mess with your eyes.

Imagine a cherry tomato, and put it at the ends of your collarbone. That's how my shoulders look right after training. They've improved a bit and the redness has been reduced to the color of a pink salmon.

They're still swollen though. But at least my two best friends helped out in reducing the pain.